(( Medusa is the only accessible Juror at the moment. In terms of powers, she has the same ability as Andromeda where she can create her element out of other matter, but with sand instead of ice. Her sand can suck out energy of whatever it touches, meaning if a spell strikes it, the attack will dissipate. Octavian is outside the barrier and would have to be taken down by the members still in Sinbad (IIRC). Feel free to fight Medusa on your own, but don't make it an easy fight. ))
((I can't, actually. I had Iris do some insane stuff, so she's on the side lines. Alice and Vlad are in Sinbas, so Medusa can be left to the rest. Can you send me that PM about the origins of the Gods? I had some plot ideas for after Caelum, so I need the Intel to make it a possibility.))
"Well this was just great, now I'm trapped in some sort of magic dome" I thought as I could begin to feel my magic reserves starting to fill. If I had to fight I wouldn't be in top shape so I had to plan my next move carefully. These 3 seemed strong, maybe on the same level as Demi, maybe even stronger. Either way I could do nothing but watch as Demi stepped up to face off against one of the adversaries. I stepped away from her as she suddenly blasted towards her opponent.
I stood there in shock as they fought, explosions and flames practically exploding out of their hands as they fought. It looked like Demi was on her last legs as her opponent conjured a small ball of heat that I could feel even from where I was. Things seemed bleak as she adjusted her flower before raising her hand above her head and the other below her. Suddenly a circle of bright fire appeared in front of her and as the attack collided with it it disappeared. Demi then casted a quick fireball to end the fight.
After seeing that epic clash I was seriously doubting if Demi could go another match. It looked like I'd need to step in and fight the other person in the dome. "Alright Lucy you can do this." I thought as I shakily approached the girl. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can't do this!" The woman who was called Medusa looked at me with destain. "This shouldn't even take a minute." She said as she looked right through me.
Letting out a yell I tried to throw a fireball at Medusa but she simply flicked her hand and a stream of sand blocked my fireball. Trying again I let out a volley of fireballs but like before as soon as they hit the sand they just dissipated. "What? How are you doing that?!" I shouted in surprise as she simply flicked the sand towards me. Pulling up my shield the sand impacted against it and fell to the ground. "Alright if magic won't work, then how about this!" I shouted as I stepped forward. But suddenly I felt all of the strength in my leg disappear as I rolled forward.
"What the?!" Looking down the only thing I saw was the sand that I had stepped in. "What just happened? Was it the sand?" I thought as I slowly stood up. Deciding to avoid her sand from now on I took a defensive stance as Medusa huffed in annoyance. Raising her hand she suddenly grasped at the air as I tried to understand what she was planning. Suddenly I felt something heavy slam into my back as I fell onto my hands and kneed. Turning around I was horrified to see a large amount of sand from the beach was slowly sapping the energy from me. "No!" I shouted as I scrambled to get the sand off of me. It started to get harder and harder to fight against it as I felt myself getting weaker and weaker.
I finally managed to get the sand off of my back but it had already taken it's toll. I wasn't even strong enough to stand, let alone fight. “Pathetic, after I finish you I’ll finish her next.” She said while pointing to Demi. Holding her hand above her head a large sharpened pillar of sand began to form in the air above her hand. “Get up Lucy, get up!” I shouted in my head as Medusa pulled her hand back before bringing it forward causing the giant sand spike to hurdle towards me.
“NO! Come on Lucy push!” I thought as the spike came closer and closer. As it got closer time seemed to slow down as the spike continued to get closer. “I can’t die now” The spike was about to hit me as I closed my eyes. “I WON’T DIE!” Suddenly my body was filled with a massive amount of energy as I dodged the spike at the last second. “You can still move? Now that is interesting.” Medusa said as I got onto my feet.
I only had one chance at surviving and I’d have to get up close to Medusa in order to do it. Rushing forward Medusa threw another spike of sand at me, but this time I was ready. Dodging to the side I continued to rush towards her as her superior gaze began to falter. Summoning multiple spikes she began to rapidly throw them at me in an attempt to skewer me. Letting out a battlecry I continued to dodge her attacks while closing the distance.
I was almost on top of her when she used her other hand to summon a pillar of sand to suddenly jut out and impale my stomach. The pain was unbearable but I couldn’t stop, not now. My body began to glow, softly at first but before long I was shining bright enough to cause her to cover her eyes. “You’re finished, PHOENIX FLASH!” A bright light enveloped Medusa as she let out a long and pained scream. When the light died down Medusas body was slightly burnt as I stood over her.
The fight was over, I could kill her right here and now but if Demi had spared her enemy I should do the same. Suddenly all of the strength that had filled my body was gone as I collapsed onto the ground with a vacant expression on my face as my vision began to darken. “Everything feels cold…….” I silently said to myself as my body refused to respond to my attempts at movement. My vision began to darken and darken until I finally the cold grasp of unconsciousness claim me as I passed out.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1 Year ago the military was on the losing side of the war. All seemed bleak until one soldier brought a penguin in to training. They had trained that penguin in the use of explosives and sent him out into the field. They had thought that they had won but the agent went rouge. Now he only lives on as a legend, the legend of ShotgunPenguin.
((I assume the barrier only surrounded Demi, Lucy, the two Jurors, Garret (?), Rani (?) Mirror Knight (?), whoever else was near, and likely not my character. Correct me if im wrong.))
Brom had roused himself because the resting spot he found was getting a bit dangerous, as some soldiers were approaching. Brom didnt want to get trampled, so he moved more inland. He came across a good sized magic dome, and a fight had just concluded. Brom didnt know who was good or bad, but someone stood triumphant. She looked pretty familiar... Its the girl I chased! Brom recognized her suddenly.
But a new fight broke out. One girl was fighting against someone who could manipulate sand. She must be a Juror that Tobias talked about... The fight seemed very one-sided, until the girl had a sudden burst of energy, and cast a spell called 'Pheonix Flash', before collapsing. Brom looked around, wanting to help her. He saw a third Juror, outside the dome, likely the one who generated it.
Brom knew that after seeing two allies fall, one would instinctively retreat. So Brom immediately flew behind him and landed. "Release the barrier, now, Juror." Brom demanded. "Unless you wish to be in a similar state of your two friends." He threatened. To prove he was not joking, he summoned and immediately fired a death spell on some nearby foliage, which withered and died in seconds.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Puella Magi Madoka Magicka is an awesome, feel-good, cutesy anime. You should watch it!
"These two are Vlad and Alice," I replied to Will. "Vlad and Alice, this is Will. That other group you mentioned sounds like the bunch I was supposed to meet before I got sidetracked. Oh well, not much that can be done about that now."
It was at about that time that I heard the screeching sound of jet engines. I had figured that the meeting would end around now, so I scheduled for a VTOL to pick the gang up and take us wherever we needed to go next. Vise shot a weak stream of photons into the sky to signal our location, and the aircraft came down near us.
"This is our ride," I announced to the group as the bay door of the VTOL opened. "Will, you met with the others. Any idea where they might be?" I looked down at his cut-littered torso. "And are you going to be okay? If you need medical assistance, I can arrange for it."
[Garrett]
Great. The new lady - Iris, was it? - had bailed. That left Ordis, Rani, and myself. Rani and Ordis were full of confidence, but that was probably because they had never met this guy before. I was still in no condition to fight, but I had little choice if we intended to emerge victorious. I coated my blade in flame and waited.
[The Mirror Knight]
"So be it."
I had no sooner finished speaking than I launched into spellcasting. I decided I would test my enemies before finishing them in order to see what I could learn from them. First, I flooded my blade with magical energy, causing it to light afire. Then, I moved my left hand briefly, the rune that occupied the palm glowing with a menacing orange light. I pointed my hand at the man without an aura and launched a massive ball of fire in his direction. Then, I rapidly changed the hand's positioning to fire a more complicated spell at my target - a twisting, spinning double helix of flame.
Placing my hand back in its proper location on my blade, I concentrated magical energy into my feet and rocketed forward, slamming my blade into Rani's. The result of the collision was a brilliantly shining distortion in the flame of my blade and the light of his. It was the result of not only the different spells conflicting, but some of the magic contained in that radiance naturally bounced off the crystal that composed my blade. The luminescence reflected into my helmet. If Rani could see past the light, he would see what was inside - or, more accurately, what wasn't.
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as Rani, Garret and I waited for the knight to make his move. Suddenly the knight lighted his longsword on fire before an orange rune glowed menacingly in his hand. Pointing his hand at me a massive fireball was formed and then fired at me with little warning. Reacting quickly I jumped high into the air over the fireball before crashing back down onto the roof of the building. Looking back I saw the fireball impact with the building behind us and completely decimate the exterior. "This knight seems to be talented in magic and sword combat." I thought as he clashed with Rani.
"He may be stronger but we have the numbers." I thought as I used my enhanced speed to dash behind the knight and Rani. Stopping with enough force to crack the roof beneath me I charged at the knights back while charging up my right fist. "Eat this!" I shouted as I swung my enhanced fist at the back of the knights head.
1 Year ago the military was on the losing side of the war. All seemed bleak until one soldier brought a penguin in to training. They had trained that penguin in the use of explosives and sent him out into the field. They had thought that they had won but the agent went rouge. Now he only lives on as a legend, the legend of ShotgunPenguin.
As Ivan and Will idly chatted away, I noted air distortions in the distance. Suddenly, a helicopter burst from a nearby cloud and zoomed towards us. I felt myself tense up as I prepared to fight, only to unwind again as Ivan explained that he had sent it. Smiling graciously, I grabbed Ivan by the hand and tugged playfully. "Helicopter ride!"
Releasing him from my grip, I leaped through the door, taking a seat next to a window. Vlad followed shortly after, shouting "Shotgun!" He had heard the term used by children after the tournament, and decided to coin it for himself. However, the pilot stopped him before he could enter. "Seats reserved for Ivan, sorry." Disheartened, Vlad crawled in back and sat next to me.
(( Scarf, if you'd like to control Octavian, you can. Just know that he is very competent with his barriers. ))
[Tobias]
Any normal person, when attempting to escape a foreign country, would likely head to the immediate departure opportunities. Perhaps a harbor or an airport. I, on the other hand, still had unfinished business to do. Using my birthright, I had analyzed Andromeda's ice and replicated it to the best of my ability. I could see the core of Caelum's magic: artifacts created from the bodies of magical monsters. As with all artifacts, it was impossible to perfectly recreate the effect, but just by studying during the fight earlier, I gathered all the information I needed to make a knock-off variety. There were still two jurors I had yet to run into, but I was truly heading after the Emperor. The path to the court had been already prepared for me, which wasn't a good sign. When I reached his pavilion, much of the distracting decorations had been removed. One of the remaining jurors stood in front of his leader, ready to fight and die for him.
"Tobias of Eternia, surrender yourself now. If you do this quietly, neither you nor your comrades must suffer any further." One had said. He was a big, buff man, his biceps about as thick as my head. I assumed his code name was Heracles, as that was one of the remaining names on the list. Heracles was a giant of a man, standing at well over seven feet tall. I laughed at his offer for me to peacefully submit. "Very well, be prepared to die." Taking down Heracles with his own magic took as long as it did for him to use it. To compliment his massive strength, his ability revolved (ha, get it?) around gravity. The juror raised the amount acting on me so I couldn't move very well, then launched anything his magic could raise at me. He was a fool, though. I pointed two fingers at him and, using his same technique, changed the direction and power of gravity toward his chest. A hole about as large as my fingers appeared almost instantly. The Goliath fell to the ground, clutching his chest. It would have been more fun to drag out the fight and examine the more intricate details of his powers, but time wasn't on my side.
"You need a new Jury." I commented, kicking the brute aside. "They're all strong, but they work a lot better together than separately."
The Emperor laughed. "Considering any one of them could have single handedly destroyed your former Central City, I wouldn't look down on them. I received a report a little bit ago that Medusa, Octavian, and Vulcan were heading toward your allies, with Arachne en route. Your friends will be dead before you can return to your country." His words, despite the first half of his statement's accuracy, were hilarious in my ears. I couldn't help but laugh. Demetria was powerful and there were other potent cards in play. "The probability of their survival is four percent. Let's change that down to zero." The child of Xeltia began to glow in a golden light, although my Arcane Vision sharpened what he actually looked like. His magic was Bloodborn, meaning it'd be impossible to perfectly copy, but I'd be able to tinker with it later. He edited a vast array of magic circles and panels in the air, modifying the fabric of life as we knew it.
"Sorry, I can't let you do that." I said, releasing a wave of pressurized air. The Emperor was pushed backwards, away from the invisible console. While he was falling in his butt, I began to see what I could figure out of his magic while supporting the group from afar. Medusa had a one hundred percent chance of victory, but I used this strange magic to prevent her from turning anything organic into sand, which lowered that chance drastically. It seemed that if the changes to probabilities agreed with nature, they weren't as taxing. Very interesting. I couldn't do anything to Vulcan or Octavian by the time a fist had made contact with my face. The Emperor was back on his feet. "I can't stick around and play any longer, sorry." I apologized. It felt very comforting to activate Godspeed. The air solidified under my feet as I ran at speeds higher than Mach Five toward an assortment of auras. It would still take a little bit of time to get there and I couldn't skip right to Warp Drive due to it's gigantic energy toll.
My only hope was that they'd survive the Jurors and live long enough for me to stop the Mirror Knight. The moment I had sensed his aura, I knew we'd be turned up on our heads.
((Once Brom defeats Octavien, I vote we all fight Arachne. Well, everybody who wasn't fought a Juror yet. And instead of wrapping it all up in one post, can we have a bit of an interactive back-and-forth? Also, what are Arachne's powers? Is she illusions or mind control?))
Alice was full of surprises, it seemed. She dragged me over to the VTOL rather enthusiastically. Perhaps she was a fan of aviation? I clambered into the plane and sat down into the copilot's seat. Bloodhound and Vise took up positions in the seats closest to the back. The bay door closed, and the aircraft began to gain altitude.
"Because," I said to Will, "I brought it here."
"Set a course for the Southern Archipelagos," I ordered the pilot. I turned back to Will. "As for the Anomaly, it's been a subject of interest for Rykov Robotics for quite a while now. It is, after all, an anomaly. We're probably going to pass it on the way to the others. If you'd like, you can jump when we pass, but there's not a parachute for you."
[The Mirror Knight]
"Eat this!" I heard the auraless man say.
That was the mistake.
I could have blocked the halfling's attack with ease, but I didn't want to take both attacks at once. Instead, with the rune on my left hand still glowing, I moved my hand and snapped my fingers. Scorching pyroclasts clouded most the roof in an instant, less than healthy for flesh creatures and robots alike. Next, I shifted my sword's position slightly and flooded power into my blade where it made contact with Rani's. The result was an explosion powerful enough to rocket me away from Rani and into obscurity of the tephra smog, narrowly evading Rani's punch. Because I changed the angle of the contact between our weapons, I was launched in such a way that I avoided the auraless man as well.
Then, I launched an offensive of my own. I dragged my blade through the roof in the direction I had come from, where Rani and the other man no doubt still were. A thin wave of fire shot forth, only visible from a few feet away in the fog. Upon reaching approximately where the I predicted the two were, the wave would detonate and leave behind a rather nasty pool of magma.
[Garrett]
I rocketed off the roof and began wall-running on the building on the other side of the street to avoid the spiraling flame. The attack made contact with the building I was currently on, and it burned straight through. I looked back to the roof and was stunned by what I saw.
The roof was totally obscured by a cloud. Not just any cloud, but an ash cloud. I recognized that spell. That was my spell. I created that without any outside guidance save for the spell-forging tricks I'd picked up watching Tobes and Demi. I'd only ever used pyroclastic haze in combat twice before. Once was in the streets of Central against Rani, Glaive, and Rogan.
And once more to escape from him.
I dug my blade into the building and waited on the vertical surface, staring in wide-eyed disbelief at the roof. There was only one explanation for this. And if that explanation was correct, then we were in far more danger than even I had imagined. Was it possible that this guy could understand and use spells just by seeing them once? If this was true, we stood no chance. My theory couldn't possibly be correct...
I was still there, trying my best to feel Tobias' presence, but it was no use. He had disappeared as quickly as he appeared. I could detect the different powers at play in the south, including the Gods' little Anti-Angel project. The Mirror Knight wasn't anybody I wanted to tussle with, but I couldn't let anybody touch this country while it's true protector was away. I blasted my way toward the invasion, moving with even more haste than usual. Instead of relying on jets of flame, I created powerful explosions with every stride, which really made the scenery fly by. When I got close, I could see the five warships (six if you counted the one that was pretty much sunk) on the coast, with a few dark spots on the horizon. The Whistler, the military lady, and a robot guy were all fighting Mr. Mirror. Although I had the weight on my conscious that they'd all lose horrifically, I had to use this as a distraction.
(( I figured you guys might want a hint at what is to come. Arachne's powers revolve around the manipulation of material. I will go into a bit more detail on how it works in this post. ))
[Arachne]
Sending three jurors out to keep the attention of the Eternian Resistance was a bold and very risky move, but it was solely for the purpose of allowing our armada to slip in undetected. Of course, saying that the original navy was any larger than a single man-o-war was a bit of a stretch. I continued my process of creating string, constructing ships made of that silk, then turning it into the various materials needed. The magic resistant metal took slightly more energy, but it was still easy enough to do. I had finished six warships only slightly smaller than the three-hundred and fifty meter long flagship that I had set my operations on by the time the six small vessels had made it to shore. Seventeen had been completed when I saw Octavian's suppression dome go up. Creating soldiers was tricky. I only had four blueprints - Gunman, Grenadier, Sniper, and Warrior. Populating a total of eighteen warships wasn't a small feat, but it took even less time than the boats I was filling. Each of them used the same artifact core for their weaponry, although they of course came in different varieties.
"What should I make next?" I asked my pet, a mechanical spider that was about eight feet tall and sixteen feet in diameter. It creaked in a supportive, gentle way, despite it being an automaton capable of firing lasers. Lasers are always cool. "If we haven't been spotted yet, we're about to be. Nuclear bomb? No, too messy. How about Napalm? Nah, if they have any Fire Users, we'd only be fueling them. What to do, what to do..."
((Yay, you incorporated my idea! Um, do I have permission to bring Iris back in the game? I don't want Iris to come off as TOO powerful, but you did just send a giant fleet of ships in our direction. Also, am I ever going to get that PM about the Gods' origins?))
(( Consider toning down Iris' strength. I believe her agreed upon power-level was to be around Garrett's, and I sincerely doubt anybody in the group save Tobias could do what she just did. ))
The third Juror locked eyes with Brom. "I shall not flee." He said.
"So be it." Brom began a death spell. To take out someone as powerful as a Juror, it would need to charge for a good time. Thankfully, Brom did not need to focus much on his spells, though his charge time increased a great deal. Brom spread his legs and focused on the Juror.
He started the show by throwing barriers of various shapes and sizes at Brom, who evaded them the best he could. He rubbed against one, and it was searing hot. Touching the barriers was simply not an option. The Juror saw that Brom understood this and laughed, before sending another round of barriers his way. Brom could tell the Juror was enjoying this, toying with him. This was good, because Brom needed all the time he could get.
Not too much later, the Juror began to grow a bit impatient. He began sending more barriers, faster, bigger. Brom could hardly avoid these, and he needed to start using the flight spell, which slowed his already snail-paced death spell. This continued, but the Juror became angry at how long this was taking. He then shut Brom in a box of barriers from all sides, not dislike the barrier that surrounded the two incapacitated Jurors and their rivals.
The Juror approached the barrier box, and removed one side blocking it with his shield. "My name is Octavian, Juror of Caelum. I want you to know that name before you die."
No.
Brom refused death. He refused to have fought so hard to lose so badly. He could not, would not lose. He would not die.
Brom. A voice spoke. It was Zicka's voice. His mind had returned to the memory of Aer, and Zicka's last moments. Brom, you have excelled in my teachings, but you must learn that death is not evil. Death is a necessity of life. Death and Life are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot exist without the other. You still hold your parent's deaths with you, and you are fearful of my passing. Do not be afraid, and do not let death grieve you. Promise me this.
With this, Brom's mind calmed as he accepted his fate. I am going to die.
A surge of energy flowed through him with this calmness. His instincts took over and activated a flight spell stronger than he had ever tried, and rammed into the shield of the Juror. Brom suffered a bloody nose and a broken arm, but didnt care. He rammed so fast and hard that he knocked the shield out of Octavian's grasp and it landed several meters away. All the barriers dissipated.
Brom landed between the Juror and his shield. "My name is Brom, apprentice of Zicka." He said so quietly, that only Octavian could hear. "Know this before you die." And with that, Brom launched his death spell, and collapsed.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Puella Magi Madoka Magicka is an awesome, feel-good, cutesy anime. You should watch it!
((Ninja, you just reiterated what I said. I made Iris crazy OP back there, so in return she's totally useless for an entire day. That's my way to make up for her doing so much boss stuff.
As my punch was about to connect with the knight he suddenly rocketed away from Rani in an explosion, leaving a large cloud of smog that surrounded the area. Now that my punch had nowhere to go I had to direct it into the roof in order to discharge the energy. A cone of electricity formed around me before dissipating. As I tried to find the night again I found that the cloud was thick enough to obscure my vision to only a few feet. Whoever this guy was he was strong, no doubt about that.
Suddenly I began to feel like something was starting to slowly strip away at my mechanics. A quick diagnostic scan revealed that this cloud was harmful to all life, biological and mechanical. I was going to have to end this fast or else I could risk serious damage to my systems. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as my sensors picked up a large wave of magma heading towards me. Jumping into the wave of magma just missed my feet as it splattered onto the ground, burning through the roof.
Pulling both of my arms behind me I started to channel all of my remaining energy into them. "WARNING! ENERGY LEVELS ARE REACHING CRITICAL LEVELS, SHUTDOWN IMMINENT!" The message popped up on in my vision as my energy gauge quickly dropped down to 4%. With the energy built up in my hands I brought both of them forward and swing them across my body creating 2 high powered energy waves that speed towards where my sensors predicted the knight would be. After the attack I used the last of my energy to jump to a far away building before dropping to my knees.
"WARNING! ENERGY LEVEL IS AT 1 PERCENT, INITIATING POWER REPLENISH MODE." A loud hiss was heard as steam shot out of my limbs before I felt them go numb. It would take about 10 minuted before my energy levels allowed me to move again, but until then I was a sitting duck. I just hoped that Rani and Garret had that guy covered if my attack didn't hit.
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
1 Year ago the military was on the losing side of the war. All seemed bleak until one soldier brought a penguin in to training. They had trained that penguin in the use of explosives and sent him out into the field. They had thought that they had won but the agent went rouge. Now he only lives on as a legend, the legend of ShotgunPenguin.
I had eventually recovered enough energy to move around, although my muscles still screamed from tension. That maneuver — Divine Torch, I believe it was called — wasn't something I could do on a regular basis. Regardless, Vulcan was defeated. Medusa seemed to have met her fate by Lucy's hands and Brom was still dealing with the armored one, Octavian. The dome barrier had been recalled to allow the only active juror to fight with all his strength. None of this was of much concern to me because my phone began to ring, the caller I.D. not showing any identity. I answered the phone, knowing who it was because of our previous encounter this way.
"Demetria, don't speak. I know what you pulled off." He said in a bit of a worried, yet proud tone. Was he happy that I was getting stronger? "However, I want to prove a point to you. A month ago, you stripped me of my Godship and, at least by the general consensus, eliminated me as a threat. Look out on the water, there are a total of eighteen ships, each of which being around three hundred meters, or a tad less than a thousand feet. They are even more defended than the half dozen you lot took out earlier and there is a juror on board to remotely repair any damage. Watch and prepare to see the fruits of my labors." His voice disappeared and the call ended. The sky quickly flooded with dark clouds, contrasting to a tiny little blue speck floating above the warships. That had to be Tobias.
BOOM! A bolt of lightning struck the first ship, although calling it anything less than a masterpiece of magic was insulting. It had to be no thicker than two fingers thick from where I was standing, but considering distance makes things smaller in view, I didn't even want to fathom the actual diameter of the bolt. It was clearly thick enough to sink that cruiser. He wasn't quite done showing off. Another one was lifted out of the water purely by wind magic, then twisted like a wet rag. My childhood friend flew above it all like a conductor, his every movement creating action. A third ship began to float a bit more than usual, which was revealed to it being hoisted from the sea. It had been trapped in an iceberg, one definitely created by Tobias. Pillars of stone shot up and punctured the hull of a fourth vessel, which shouldn't have been possible considering metal could crush earth. He raised his left hand into the air and began to form a fireball. Even from here, I could tell that it's contents were more than heat. Napalm, magma, and blue flames composed it, quite possibly being one of the most destructive spells I've ever witnessed. When he fired it, two of the battleships were molten instantly, three others getting capsized in a single blow. Tobias continued, sinking each and every ship in a manner that couldn't have been accomplished if this whole country worked together.
To top it all off, the show off began to use Earth and Nature magic to cover up the scene. The metal wreckage changed to sod, stone from the ocean floor piled up to make the foundation of a new island. Grass grew from barren soil, trees erupted at a pace that defied nature. Tobias had become a master of magic. There were gods back in Aer who couldn't perform anywhere near as well as he did. My phone began to buzz yet again, although I doubted he wanted to brag. That just wasn't how he was.
His voice seemed very weak, which made sense considering his display. "Do me a favor," Tobias said, slowly, "Retrieve Vulcan's ring, Medusa's vambrace, and Octavian's shield. Touching them will hurt much more than someone could normally withstand, so be careful."
As several fights started and ended, I could only watch helplessly as a vast fleet loomed over the ocean in the distance. The shadow of well over a dozen ships, each equipped with incredible magical resistance. From what I could tell, Aetherium had been added into the alloy they used in the making of the warships we had encountered earlier, increasing the resistance of each substantially. However, none possessed any Lunarium Field of any kind. I counted this as a blessing.
A break spark of hope danced off the flint of my soul as a figure appeared in the distance. Even without magic I could tell it was a God. Why, you ask? Because shortly after his appearance, every ship kicked the bucket. One by one, he systematically annihilated them with a variety of Elemental Magicks. In only a few minutes, almost every nearby threat had been immobilized one way or another. Only one left is the Mirror Knight, and if that ship in the distance is any indicator, we have backup now.
Even though I couldn't directly assist in the battle against the Mirror Knight, I could certainly still help. My phone was already ringing before I had even whipped it out. I guess great minds think alike. "Hey Capricorn. I cast Horizon, and now I'm out of juice. Could you call Leo and get him to send me some mana?" "You know I'm gonna have to beg, right?" "Oh fine, you big baby. Could you at least tell me how Cetus is doing?" "Another failure. However, we did manage to successfully integrate the Daemon's into the blueprint for his brain!" "I told you his head'll be too big for all those lobes! We'll either have to cut some stuff-" "Not an option." "Or personally handcraft a secondary Cerebellum to free up some space. Get the rest on the case, see what you guys can do. I hope we can finish him by some point this century." "We all do, Iris. Anything else you need?" "Afraid not. Until then!"
So, the Zodiac wouldn't be of any help right now. Maybe I can borrow some energy from somewhere else? If I can just sustain a few blood runes, I might be able to hold my own in a fight for my life. Or at least last longer. I could think of several possibilities, but immediately several were crossed off my mental checklist. I had asked enough of the Gods today, so they were out. The Primordials most likely wouldn't help me right now, what with the vast majority of them currently in Toreador. I definitely wouldn't awaken one just for this, so cross that too. The Celestial's are under Solaire and Hidei, who I already borrowed from, so no. The forces of Oblivion are most certainly too volatile for this.
That really only left one option for me, the Mad Ones. They're not quite as eldritch as they sound, but they're still a dangerous force to harness. Both the Wyrm and the Wyld don't fit the puzzle, which just leaves the Weaver. Her/it's magic is focused around Order, so it shouldn't adversely affect the structure of the runes overall. We're on fairly neutral terms, so she most likely won't trap me in her web. Overall, probably my best option.
With my mind made up, I planted my booty on the floor and meditated. It was truly a challenge to enter the Astral Realm, especially considering how obscenely obscure the idea is. Most wave off the notion of an Astral Realm, so entering it has become a rarity for most humans. It was dangerous, beyond that. But this journey would be well worth it in the end. As my soul temporarily manifested outside my body, I was mildly surprised by my surroundings. This area was simply riddled with flux! Whatever that God had done, he had certainly changed something!
((A few of those concepts I gathered from an RPG. Tell me if I've overstepped a boundary!))
(( Medusa is the only accessible Juror at the moment. In terms of powers, she has the same ability as Andromeda where she can create her element out of other matter, but with sand instead of ice. Her sand can suck out energy of whatever it touches, meaning if a spell strikes it, the attack will dissipate. Octavian is outside the barrier and would have to be taken down by the members still in Sinbad (IIRC). Feel free to fight Medusa on your own, but don't make it an easy fight. ))
((I can't, actually. I had Iris do some insane stuff, so she's on the side lines. Alice and Vlad are in Sinbas, so Medusa can be left to the rest. Can you send me that PM about the origins of the Gods? I had some plot ideas for after Caelum, so I need the Intel to make it a possibility.))
[Lucy]
"Well this was just great, now I'm trapped in some sort of magic dome" I thought as I could begin to feel my magic reserves starting to fill. If I had to fight I wouldn't be in top shape so I had to plan my next move carefully. These 3 seemed strong, maybe on the same level as Demi, maybe even stronger. Either way I could do nothing but watch as Demi stepped up to face off against one of the adversaries. I stepped away from her as she suddenly blasted towards her opponent.
I stood there in shock as they fought, explosions and flames practically exploding out of their hands as they fought. It looked like Demi was on her last legs as her opponent conjured a small ball of heat that I could feel even from where I was. Things seemed bleak as she adjusted her flower before raising her hand above her head and the other below her. Suddenly a circle of bright fire appeared in front of her and as the attack collided with it it disappeared. Demi then casted a quick fireball to end the fight.
After seeing that epic clash I was seriously doubting if Demi could go another match. It looked like I'd need to step in and fight the other person in the dome. "Alright Lucy you can do this." I thought as I shakily approached the girl. "I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, I can't do this!" The woman who was called Medusa looked at me with destain. "This shouldn't even take a minute." She said as she looked right through me.
Letting out a yell I tried to throw a fireball at Medusa but she simply flicked her hand and a stream of sand blocked my fireball. Trying again I let out a volley of fireballs but like before as soon as they hit the sand they just dissipated. "What? How are you doing that?!" I shouted in surprise as she simply flicked the sand towards me. Pulling up my shield the sand impacted against it and fell to the ground. "Alright if magic won't work, then how about this!" I shouted as I stepped forward. But suddenly I felt all of the strength in my leg disappear as I rolled forward.
"What the?!" Looking down the only thing I saw was the sand that I had stepped in. "What just happened? Was it the sand?" I thought as I slowly stood up. Deciding to avoid her sand from now on I took a defensive stance as Medusa huffed in annoyance. Raising her hand she suddenly grasped at the air as I tried to understand what she was planning. Suddenly I felt something heavy slam into my back as I fell onto my hands and kneed. Turning around I was horrified to see a large amount of sand from the beach was slowly sapping the energy from me. "No!" I shouted as I scrambled to get the sand off of me. It started to get harder and harder to fight against it as I felt myself getting weaker and weaker.
I finally managed to get the sand off of my back but it had already taken it's toll. I wasn't even strong enough to stand, let alone fight. “Pathetic, after I finish you I’ll finish her next.” She said while pointing to Demi. Holding her hand above her head a large sharpened pillar of sand began to form in the air above her hand. “Get up Lucy, get up!” I shouted in my head as Medusa pulled her hand back before bringing it forward causing the giant sand spike to hurdle towards me.
“NO! Come on Lucy push!” I thought as the spike came closer and closer. As it got closer time seemed to slow down as the spike continued to get closer. “I can’t die now” The spike was about to hit me as I closed my eyes. “I WON’T DIE!” Suddenly my body was filled with a massive amount of energy as I dodged the spike at the last second. “You can still move? Now that is interesting.” Medusa said as I got onto my feet.
I only had one chance at surviving and I’d have to get up close to Medusa in order to do it. Rushing forward Medusa threw another spike of sand at me, but this time I was ready. Dodging to the side I continued to rush towards her as her superior gaze began to falter. Summoning multiple spikes she began to rapidly throw them at me in an attempt to skewer me. Letting out a battlecry I continued to dodge her attacks while closing the distance.
I was almost on top of her when she used her other hand to summon a pillar of sand to suddenly jut out and impale my stomach. The pain was unbearable but I couldn’t stop, not now. My body began to glow, softly at first but before long I was shining bright enough to cause her to cover her eyes. “You’re finished, PHOENIX FLASH!” A bright light enveloped Medusa as she let out a long and pained scream. When the light died down Medusas body was slightly burnt as I stood over her.
The fight was over, I could kill her right here and now but if Demi had spared her enemy I should do the same. Suddenly all of the strength that had filled my body was gone as I collapsed onto the ground with a vacant expression on my face as my vision began to darken. “Everything feels cold…….” I silently said to myself as my body refused to respond to my attempts at movement. My vision began to darken and darken until I finally the cold grasp of unconsciousness claim me as I passed out.
((I assume the barrier only surrounded Demi, Lucy, the two Jurors, Garret (?), Rani (?) Mirror Knight (?), whoever else was near, and likely not my character. Correct me if im wrong.))
Brom had roused himself because the resting spot he found was getting a bit dangerous, as some soldiers were approaching. Brom didnt want to get trampled, so he moved more inland. He came across a good sized magic dome, and a fight had just concluded. Brom didnt know who was good or bad, but someone stood triumphant. She looked pretty familiar... Its the girl I chased! Brom recognized her suddenly.
But a new fight broke out. One girl was fighting against someone who could manipulate sand. She must be a Juror that Tobias talked about... The fight seemed very one-sided, until the girl had a sudden burst of energy, and cast a spell called 'Pheonix Flash', before collapsing. Brom looked around, wanting to help her. He saw a third Juror, outside the dome, likely the one who generated it.
Brom knew that after seeing two allies fall, one would instinctively retreat. So Brom immediately flew behind him and landed. "Release the barrier, now, Juror." Brom demanded. "Unless you wish to be in a similar state of your two friends." He threatened. To prove he was not joking, he summoned and immediately fired a death spell on some nearby foliage, which withered and died in seconds.
[Ivan]
"These two are Vlad and Alice," I replied to Will. "Vlad and Alice, this is Will. That other group you mentioned sounds like the bunch I was supposed to meet before I got sidetracked. Oh well, not much that can be done about that now."
It was at about that time that I heard the screeching sound of jet engines. I had figured that the meeting would end around now, so I scheduled for a VTOL to pick the gang up and take us wherever we needed to go next. Vise shot a weak stream of photons into the sky to signal our location, and the aircraft came down near us.
"This is our ride," I announced to the group as the bay door of the VTOL opened. "Will, you met with the others. Any idea where they might be?" I looked down at his cut-littered torso. "And are you going to be okay? If you need medical assistance, I can arrange for it."
[Garrett]
Great. The new lady - Iris, was it? - had bailed. That left Ordis, Rani, and myself. Rani and Ordis were full of confidence, but that was probably because they had never met this guy before. I was still in no condition to fight, but I had little choice if we intended to emerge victorious. I coated my blade in flame and waited.
[The Mirror Knight]
"So be it."
I had no sooner finished speaking than I launched into spellcasting. I decided I would test my enemies before finishing them in order to see what I could learn from them. First, I flooded my blade with magical energy, causing it to light afire. Then, I moved my left hand briefly, the rune that occupied the palm glowing with a menacing orange light. I pointed my hand at the man without an aura and launched a massive ball of fire in his direction. Then, I rapidly changed the hand's positioning to fire a more complicated spell at my target - a twisting, spinning double helix of flame.
Placing my hand back in its proper location on my blade, I concentrated magical energy into my feet and rocketed forward, slamming my blade into Rani's. The result of the collision was a brilliantly shining distortion in the flame of my blade and the light of his. It was the result of not only the different spells conflicting, but some of the magic contained in that radiance naturally bounced off the crystal that composed my blade. The luminescence reflected into my helmet. If Rani could see past the light, he would see what was inside - or, more accurately, what wasn't.
There's no kill like overkill.
((P-P-P-Page breaker!))
[Ordis]
The tension in the air could be cut with a knife as Rani, Garret and I waited for the knight to make his move. Suddenly the knight lighted his longsword on fire before an orange rune glowed menacingly in his hand. Pointing his hand at me a massive fireball was formed and then fired at me with little warning. Reacting quickly I jumped high into the air over the fireball before crashing back down onto the roof of the building. Looking back I saw the fireball impact with the building behind us and completely decimate the exterior. "This knight seems to be talented in magic and sword combat." I thought as he clashed with Rani.
"He may be stronger but we have the numbers." I thought as I used my enhanced speed to dash behind the knight and Rani. Stopping with enough force to crack the roof beneath me I charged at the knights back while charging up my right fist. "Eat this!" I shouted as I swung my enhanced fist at the back of the knights head.
[Alice]
As Ivan and Will idly chatted away, I noted air distortions in the distance. Suddenly, a helicopter burst from a nearby cloud and zoomed towards us. I felt myself tense up as I prepared to fight, only to unwind again as Ivan explained that he had sent it. Smiling graciously, I grabbed Ivan by the hand and tugged playfully. "Helicopter ride!"
Releasing him from my grip, I leaped through the door, taking a seat next to a window. Vlad followed shortly after, shouting "Shotgun!" He had heard the term used by children after the tournament, and decided to coin it for himself. However, the pilot stopped him before he could enter. "Seats reserved for Ivan, sorry." Disheartened, Vlad crawled in back and sat next to me.
(( Scarf, if you'd like to control Octavian, you can. Just know that he is very competent with his barriers. ))
[Tobias]
Any normal person, when attempting to escape a foreign country, would likely head to the immediate departure opportunities. Perhaps a harbor or an airport. I, on the other hand, still had unfinished business to do. Using my birthright, I had analyzed Andromeda's ice and replicated it to the best of my ability. I could see the core of Caelum's magic: artifacts created from the bodies of magical monsters. As with all artifacts, it was impossible to perfectly recreate the effect, but just by studying during the fight earlier, I gathered all the information I needed to make a knock-off variety. There were still two jurors I had yet to run into, but I was truly heading after the Emperor. The path to the court had been already prepared for me, which wasn't a good sign. When I reached his pavilion, much of the distracting decorations had been removed. One of the remaining jurors stood in front of his leader, ready to fight and die for him.
"Tobias of Eternia, surrender yourself now. If you do this quietly, neither you nor your comrades must suffer any further." One had said. He was a big, buff man, his biceps about as thick as my head. I assumed his code name was Heracles, as that was one of the remaining names on the list. Heracles was a giant of a man, standing at well over seven feet tall. I laughed at his offer for me to peacefully submit. "Very well, be prepared to die." Taking down Heracles with his own magic took as long as it did for him to use it. To compliment his massive strength, his ability revolved (ha, get it?) around gravity. The juror raised the amount acting on me so I couldn't move very well, then launched anything his magic could raise at me. He was a fool, though. I pointed two fingers at him and, using his same technique, changed the direction and power of gravity toward his chest. A hole about as large as my fingers appeared almost instantly. The Goliath fell to the ground, clutching his chest. It would have been more fun to drag out the fight and examine the more intricate details of his powers, but time wasn't on my side.
"You need a new Jury." I commented, kicking the brute aside. "They're all strong, but they work a lot better together than separately."
The Emperor laughed. "Considering any one of them could have single handedly destroyed your former Central City, I wouldn't look down on them. I received a report a little bit ago that Medusa, Octavian, and Vulcan were heading toward your allies, with Arachne en route. Your friends will be dead before you can return to your country." His words, despite the first half of his statement's accuracy, were hilarious in my ears. I couldn't help but laugh. Demetria was powerful and there were other potent cards in play. "The probability of their survival is four percent. Let's change that down to zero." The child of Xeltia began to glow in a golden light, although my Arcane Vision sharpened what he actually looked like. His magic was Bloodborn, meaning it'd be impossible to perfectly copy, but I'd be able to tinker with it later. He edited a vast array of magic circles and panels in the air, modifying the fabric of life as we knew it.
"Sorry, I can't let you do that." I said, releasing a wave of pressurized air. The Emperor was pushed backwards, away from the invisible console. While he was falling in his butt, I began to see what I could figure out of his magic while supporting the group from afar. Medusa had a one hundred percent chance of victory, but I used this strange magic to prevent her from turning anything organic into sand, which lowered that chance drastically. It seemed that if the changes to probabilities agreed with nature, they weren't as taxing. Very interesting. I couldn't do anything to Vulcan or Octavian by the time a fist had made contact with my face. The Emperor was back on his feet. "I can't stick around and play any longer, sorry." I apologized. It felt very comforting to activate Godspeed. The air solidified under my feet as I ran at speeds higher than Mach Five toward an assortment of auras. It would still take a little bit of time to get there and I couldn't skip right to Warp Drive due to it's gigantic energy toll.
My only hope was that they'd survive the Jurors and live long enough for me to stop the Mirror Knight. The moment I had sensed his aura, I knew we'd be turned up on our heads.
((I'll try to post my and Octavian's fight tomorrow afternoon, if i can get to it.))
((Once Brom defeats Octavien, I vote we all fight Arachne. Well, everybody who wasn't fought a Juror yet. And instead of wrapping it all up in one post, can we have a bit of an interactive back-and-forth? Also, what are Arachne's powers? Is she illusions or mind control?))
((A VTOL aircraft isn't exactly a helicopter.))
[Ivan]
Alice was full of surprises, it seemed. She dragged me over to the VTOL rather enthusiastically. Perhaps she was a fan of aviation? I clambered into the plane and sat down into the copilot's seat. Bloodhound and Vise took up positions in the seats closest to the back. The bay door closed, and the aircraft began to gain altitude.
"Because," I said to Will, "I brought it here."
"Set a course for the Southern Archipelagos," I ordered the pilot. I turned back to Will. "As for the Anomaly, it's been a subject of interest for Rykov Robotics for quite a while now. It is, after all, an anomaly. We're probably going to pass it on the way to the others. If you'd like, you can jump when we pass, but there's not a parachute for you."
[The Mirror Knight]
"Eat this!" I heard the auraless man say.
That was the mistake.
I could have blocked the halfling's attack with ease, but I didn't want to take both attacks at once. Instead, with the rune on my left hand still glowing, I moved my hand and snapped my fingers. Scorching pyroclasts clouded most the roof in an instant, less than healthy for flesh creatures and robots alike. Next, I shifted my sword's position slightly and flooded power into my blade where it made contact with Rani's. The result was an explosion powerful enough to rocket me away from Rani and into obscurity of the tephra smog, narrowly evading Rani's punch. Because I changed the angle of the contact between our weapons, I was launched in such a way that I avoided the auraless man as well.
Then, I launched an offensive of my own. I dragged my blade through the roof in the direction I had come from, where Rani and the other man no doubt still were. A thin wave of fire shot forth, only visible from a few feet away in the fog. Upon reaching approximately where the I predicted the two were, the wave would detonate and leave behind a rather nasty pool of magma.
[Garrett]
I rocketed off the roof and began wall-running on the building on the other side of the street to avoid the spiraling flame. The attack made contact with the building I was currently on, and it burned straight through. I looked back to the roof and was stunned by what I saw.
The roof was totally obscured by a cloud. Not just any cloud, but an ash cloud. I recognized that spell. That was my spell. I created that without any outside guidance save for the spell-forging tricks I'd picked up watching Tobes and Demi. I'd only ever used pyroclastic haze in combat twice before. Once was in the streets of Central against Rani, Glaive, and Rogan.
And once more to escape from him.
I dug my blade into the building and waited on the vertical surface, staring in wide-eyed disbelief at the roof. There was only one explanation for this. And if that explanation was correct, then we were in far more danger than even I had imagined. Was it possible that this guy could understand and use spells just by seeing them once? If this was true, we stood no chance. My theory couldn't possibly be correct...
Could it?
There's no kill like overkill.
(( I figured you guys might want a hint at what is to come. Arachne's powers revolve around the manipulation of material. I will go into a bit more detail on how it works in this post. ))
[Arachne]
Sending three jurors out to keep the attention of the Eternian Resistance was a bold and very risky move, but it was solely for the purpose of allowing our armada to slip in undetected. Of course, saying that the original navy was any larger than a single man-o-war was a bit of a stretch. I continued my process of creating string, constructing ships made of that silk, then turning it into the various materials needed. The magic resistant metal took slightly more energy, but it was still easy enough to do. I had finished six warships only slightly smaller than the three-hundred and fifty meter long flagship that I had set my operations on by the time the six small vessels had made it to shore. Seventeen had been completed when I saw Octavian's suppression dome go up. Creating soldiers was tricky. I only had four blueprints - Gunman, Grenadier, Sniper, and Warrior. Populating a total of eighteen warships wasn't a small feat, but it took even less time than the boats I was filling. Each of them used the same artifact core for their weaponry, although they of course came in different varieties.
"What should I make next?" I asked my pet, a mechanical spider that was about eight feet tall and sixteen feet in diameter. It creaked in a supportive, gentle way, despite it being an automaton capable of firing lasers. Lasers are always cool. "If we haven't been spotted yet, we're about to be. Nuclear bomb? No, too messy. How about Napalm? Nah, if they have any Fire Users, we'd only be fueling them. What to do, what to do..."
((Yay, you incorporated my idea! Um, do I have permission to bring Iris back in the game? I don't want Iris to come off as TOO powerful, but you did just send a giant fleet of ships in our direction. Also, am I ever going to get that PM about the Gods' origins?))
(( Consider toning down Iris' strength. I believe her agreed upon power-level was to be around Garrett's, and I sincerely doubt anybody in the group save Tobias could do what she just did. ))
The third Juror locked eyes with Brom. "I shall not flee." He said.
"So be it." Brom began a death spell. To take out someone as powerful as a Juror, it would need to charge for a good time. Thankfully, Brom did not need to focus much on his spells, though his charge time increased a great deal. Brom spread his legs and focused on the Juror.
He started the show by throwing barriers of various shapes and sizes at Brom, who evaded them the best he could. He rubbed against one, and it was searing hot. Touching the barriers was simply not an option. The Juror saw that Brom understood this and laughed, before sending another round of barriers his way. Brom could tell the Juror was enjoying this, toying with him. This was good, because Brom needed all the time he could get.
Not too much later, the Juror began to grow a bit impatient. He began sending more barriers, faster, bigger. Brom could hardly avoid these, and he needed to start using the flight spell, which slowed his already snail-paced death spell. This continued, but the Juror became angry at how long this was taking. He then shut Brom in a box of barriers from all sides, not dislike the barrier that surrounded the two incapacitated Jurors and their rivals.
The Juror approached the barrier box, and removed one side blocking it with his shield. "My name is Octavian, Juror of Caelum. I want you to know that name before you die."
No.
Brom refused death. He refused to have fought so hard to lose so badly. He could not, would not lose. He would not die.
Brom. A voice spoke. It was Zicka's voice. His mind had returned to the memory of Aer, and Zicka's last moments. Brom, you have excelled in my teachings, but you must learn that death is not evil. Death is a necessity of life. Death and Life are two sides of the same coin, and one cannot exist without the other. You still hold your parent's deaths with you, and you are fearful of my passing. Do not be afraid, and do not let death grieve you. Promise me this.
With this, Brom's mind calmed as he accepted his fate. I am going to die.
A surge of energy flowed through him with this calmness. His instincts took over and activated a flight spell stronger than he had ever tried, and rammed into the shield of the Juror. Brom suffered a bloody nose and a broken arm, but didnt care. He rammed so fast and hard that he knocked the shield out of Octavian's grasp and it landed several meters away. All the barriers dissipated.
Brom landed between the Juror and his shield. "My name is Brom, apprentice of Zicka." He said so quietly, that only Octavian could hear. "Know this before you die." And with that, Brom launched his death spell, and collapsed.
((Ninja, you just reiterated what I said. I made Iris crazy OP back there, so in return she's totally useless for an entire day. That's my way to make up for her doing so much boss stuff.
Also, did Ronin fall off the face of the Earth?))
[Ordis]
As my punch was about to connect with the knight he suddenly rocketed away from Rani in an explosion, leaving a large cloud of smog that surrounded the area. Now that my punch had nowhere to go I had to direct it into the roof in order to discharge the energy. A cone of electricity formed around me before dissipating. As I tried to find the night again I found that the cloud was thick enough to obscure my vision to only a few feet. Whoever this guy was he was strong, no doubt about that.
Suddenly I began to feel like something was starting to slowly strip away at my mechanics. A quick diagnostic scan revealed that this cloud was harmful to all life, biological and mechanical. I was going to have to end this fast or else I could risk serious damage to my systems. My thoughts were suddenly interrupted as my sensors picked up a large wave of magma heading towards me. Jumping into the wave of magma just missed my feet as it splattered onto the ground, burning through the roof.
Pulling both of my arms behind me I started to channel all of my remaining energy into them. "WARNING! ENERGY LEVELS ARE REACHING CRITICAL LEVELS, SHUTDOWN IMMINENT!" The message popped up on in my vision as my energy gauge quickly dropped down to 4%. With the energy built up in my hands I brought both of them forward and swing them across my body creating 2 high powered energy waves that speed towards where my sensors predicted the knight would be. After the attack I used the last of my energy to jump to a far away building before dropping to my knees.
"WARNING! ENERGY LEVEL IS AT 1 PERCENT, INITIATING POWER REPLENISH MODE." A loud hiss was heard as steam shot out of my limbs before I felt them go numb. It would take about 10 minuted before my energy levels allowed me to move again, but until then I was a sitting duck. I just hoped that Rani and Garret had that guy covered if my attack didn't hit.
[Demi]
I had eventually recovered enough energy to move around, although my muscles still screamed from tension. That maneuver — Divine Torch, I believe it was called — wasn't something I could do on a regular basis. Regardless, Vulcan was defeated. Medusa seemed to have met her fate by Lucy's hands and Brom was still dealing with the armored one, Octavian. The dome barrier had been recalled to allow the only active juror to fight with all his strength. None of this was of much concern to me because my phone began to ring, the caller I.D. not showing any identity. I answered the phone, knowing who it was because of our previous encounter this way.
"Demetria, don't speak. I know what you pulled off." He said in a bit of a worried, yet proud tone. Was he happy that I was getting stronger? "However, I want to prove a point to you. A month ago, you stripped me of my Godship and, at least by the general consensus, eliminated me as a threat. Look out on the water, there are a total of eighteen ships, each of which being around three hundred meters, or a tad less than a thousand feet. They are even more defended than the half dozen you lot took out earlier and there is a juror on board to remotely repair any damage. Watch and prepare to see the fruits of my labors." His voice disappeared and the call ended. The sky quickly flooded with dark clouds, contrasting to a tiny little blue speck floating above the warships. That had to be Tobias.
BOOM! A bolt of lightning struck the first ship, although calling it anything less than a masterpiece of magic was insulting. It had to be no thicker than two fingers thick from where I was standing, but considering distance makes things smaller in view, I didn't even want to fathom the actual diameter of the bolt. It was clearly thick enough to sink that cruiser. He wasn't quite done showing off. Another one was lifted out of the water purely by wind magic, then twisted like a wet rag. My childhood friend flew above it all like a conductor, his every movement creating action. A third ship began to float a bit more than usual, which was revealed to it being hoisted from the sea. It had been trapped in an iceberg, one definitely created by Tobias. Pillars of stone shot up and punctured the hull of a fourth vessel, which shouldn't have been possible considering metal could crush earth. He raised his left hand into the air and began to form a fireball. Even from here, I could tell that it's contents were more than heat. Napalm, magma, and blue flames composed it, quite possibly being one of the most destructive spells I've ever witnessed. When he fired it, two of the battleships were molten instantly, three others getting capsized in a single blow. Tobias continued, sinking each and every ship in a manner that couldn't have been accomplished if this whole country worked together.
To top it all off, the show off began to use Earth and Nature magic to cover up the scene. The metal wreckage changed to sod, stone from the ocean floor piled up to make the foundation of a new island. Grass grew from barren soil, trees erupted at a pace that defied nature. Tobias had become a master of magic. There were gods back in Aer who couldn't perform anywhere near as well as he did. My phone began to buzz yet again, although I doubted he wanted to brag. That just wasn't how he was.
His voice seemed very weak, which made sense considering his display. "Do me a favor," Tobias said, slowly, "Retrieve Vulcan's ring, Medusa's vambrace, and Octavian's shield. Touching them will hurt much more than someone could normally withstand, so be careful."
[Iris]
As several fights started and ended, I could only watch helplessly as a vast fleet loomed over the ocean in the distance. The shadow of well over a dozen ships, each equipped with incredible magical resistance. From what I could tell, Aetherium had been added into the alloy they used in the making of the warships we had encountered earlier, increasing the resistance of each substantially. However, none possessed any Lunarium Field of any kind. I counted this as a blessing.
A break spark of hope danced off the flint of my soul as a figure appeared in the distance. Even without magic I could tell it was a God. Why, you ask? Because shortly after his appearance, every ship kicked the bucket. One by one, he systematically annihilated them with a variety of Elemental Magicks. In only a few minutes, almost every nearby threat had been immobilized one way or another. Only one left is the Mirror Knight, and if that ship in the distance is any indicator, we have backup now.
Even though I couldn't directly assist in the battle against the Mirror Knight, I could certainly still help. My phone was already ringing before I had even whipped it out. I guess great minds think alike. "Hey Capricorn. I cast Horizon, and now I'm out of juice. Could you call Leo and get him to send me some mana?" "You know I'm gonna have to beg, right?" "Oh fine, you big baby. Could you at least tell me how Cetus is doing?" "Another failure. However, we did manage to successfully integrate the Daemon's into the blueprint for his brain!" "I told you his head'll be too big for all those lobes! We'll either have to cut some stuff-" "Not an option." "Or personally handcraft a secondary Cerebellum to free up some space. Get the rest on the case, see what you guys can do. I hope we can finish him by some point this century." "We all do, Iris. Anything else you need?" "Afraid not. Until then!"
So, the Zodiac wouldn't be of any help right now. Maybe I can borrow some energy from somewhere else? If I can just sustain a few blood runes, I might be able to hold my own in a fight for my life. Or at least last longer. I could think of several possibilities, but immediately several were crossed off my mental checklist. I had asked enough of the Gods today, so they were out. The Primordials most likely wouldn't help me right now, what with the vast majority of them currently in Toreador. I definitely wouldn't awaken one just for this, so cross that too. The Celestial's are under Solaire and Hidei, who I already borrowed from, so no. The forces of Oblivion are most certainly too volatile for this.
That really only left one option for me, the Mad Ones. They're not quite as eldritch as they sound, but they're still a dangerous force to harness. Both the Wyrm and the Wyld don't fit the puzzle, which just leaves the Weaver. Her/it's magic is focused around Order, so it shouldn't adversely affect the structure of the runes overall. We're on fairly neutral terms, so she most likely won't trap me in her web. Overall, probably my best option.
With my mind made up, I planted my booty on the floor and meditated. It was truly a challenge to enter the Astral Realm, especially considering how obscenely obscure the idea is. Most wave off the notion of an Astral Realm, so entering it has become a rarity for most humans. It was dangerous, beyond that. But this journey would be well worth it in the end. As my soul temporarily manifested outside my body, I was mildly surprised by my surroundings. This area was simply riddled with flux! Whatever that God had done, he had certainly changed something!
((A few of those concepts I gathered from an RPG. Tell me if I've overstepped a boundary!))
((Please dont let this die.
Also, please dont leave Brom to die.))